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Headquarters of the Fisheries Shipowners Cooperative of the port of Vigo. (Photo: ARVI)
Shipowners question EC report on fishing opportunities
SPAIN
Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 03:10 (GMT + 9)
The Cooperative of Shipowners of the Port of Vigo (ARVI) has expressed its disagreement on the latest communication from the European Commission (EC) on fishing opportunities for 2016.
Shipowners from Vigo argue that Brussels should adapt to the new demands of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and offer reports that are “clear, simple and balanced.”
Furthermore, they question it has put aside the “sacrifice and efforts” made by the fleet every day.
In the document presenting observations on the EC Communication, ARVI notes that between 2008 and 2013, in Galicia 30 vessels belonging to the sector were scrapped and almost EUR 30 million was spent in aid for the permanent cessation.
In addition, it notes that during that period some 2,000 job positions were lost.
The ship owners believe that the EC should communicate the “real state of the scientific knowledge” of the resources and the “sacrifices” of the fleet.
After evaluating the report released earlier this month by the EU executive on the state of several fish stocks which are of interest to the Galician fleet, the Cooperative stresses that there is still “high lack of scientific knowledge” about fish stocks, which in 2015 is 48 per cent (compared to 54 per cent in 2012).
In this situation, shipowners require “to multiply efforts in data collection” because, in their view, this implies that the supply of fish to European consumers might be developed by “third countries, many of which do not practise sustainable fishin” and especially to take into account the “social and economic consequences” for the sector.
ARVI intends to have the effective exchange of fishing quotas authorized among countries.
“The Commission should create a system that enables the optimization of the use of the fishing opportunities for Member States”, raises the cooperative of shipowners in Galician ports.
It also remembers that virtually all populations that reached the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) –43 of 101 with scientific opinion– were captured with trawling and bottom trawling.
“Trawling is being well used because it can achieve the goal of sustainability,” stresses ARVI. “We believe that consumers should know what is being done by companies to achieve the MSY.”
Finally, shipowners mention the rule on discards. In this regard, they consider that “the consumer should be aware of the great difficulties that the EU fleets will have to meet, some more than others, because of the allocation of quotas or unused surplus and the volume of discards.”
This document containing observations was delivered by ARVI to those responsible from the EC, of the Spanish fisheries administration and the political groups in the European Parliament, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate of Spain.
Related article:
– Galicia urges to ask the EC for further fishing opportunities
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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